Pankaj
Regarding singular and plural If we are making a sentence regarding a company than which form of auxiliary verb should we use, singular or plural. Example:- 01). Our principal company XYZ has been awarded a purchase order OR 02). Our principal company XYZ have been awarded a purchase order. Which one is correct? Here company means an organization where may people work at a place.
Jan 4, 2018 5:01 AM
Answers · 4
3
The answer to you question depends somewhat on whether your audience is accustomed to British or American English. In American English, I've typically seen the word 'company' treated as singular. However, it could be considered a collective noun - more likely with British English - in which case it could be treated as singular or plural depending on the context. For example, if you are speaking about the group of individuals who make up a company you might say "the company are," while if you are speaking about the company as a whole or as a legal entity, you would say "the company is." In the examples you have given, I would think the first would make more sense. For a more detailed discussion, see: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1338/are-collective-nouns-always-plural-or-are-certain-ones-singular
January 4, 2018
3
#1. Company - singular, companies - plural This is when you are talking about A company (like a business). Ex. The company was awarded the Safest Car of the Year certificate. Ex. The two companies have been competing against each other for years. If you ever mean "company" as in the presence of another person, it's always singular. My boyfriend's company - singular, my family's company - singular, their company - singular Ex. I really appreciated their company around the holidays. OR (less natural but just for an example) Their company was (not "were") much appreciated around the holidays. :)
January 4, 2018
1
Both are correct. As Norene has explained, it depends whether you are considering the company as a single entity or a set of individuals. In your example, it would probably be more usual to use a singular construction, especially in an American context. But the plural form is also fine.
January 4, 2018
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